


After the Dust Settled

by notjustmom



Category: Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Post-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-09
Updated: 2019-04-13
Packaged: 2020-01-07 10:12:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 4,186
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18408533
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/notjustmom/pseuds/notjustmom
Summary: Had a thought about Tony and Nebula's relationship after the snap, so naturally, I wrote something.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [scrub456](https://archiveofourown.org/users/scrub456/gifts).



After the dust settled, literally and figuratively, and Tony understood that he was still breathing, he remembered he wasn’t completely on his own.

“So, what’s your story?” He asked hoarsely.

Nebula looked around, as if there were someone else he could be talking to. “Me?”

“You. Yes. Unless you are a hallucination, which wouldn’t surprise me, given the day I’ve had. Start with your name, maybe? I’m Tony.”

“Nebula.”

“Nebula, an interstellar cloud of dust, hydrogen, helium and other ionized gases…”

“What?”

“Nothing, just a bit of useless information that escapes once in a while.” He squinted up at the sky then, and realized it was getting dark. “We should look for some shelter soon.”

Nebula nodded. “Once the sun sets, it gets really cold here.”

“You know this planet?”

She wondered how much she should tell him, but knew how little it mattered if he liked her. They were the last two, if there was a chance of him getting home, he would need her help.

“I grew up here.”

“Thanos?”

“My father, closest thing to a father that I have real memories of. Gamora was my sister, adopted sister.”

His face didn’t change as he slowly got to his feet and finally examined his surroundings; she could see the tracks of the tears through the mud and blood on his cheeks, but she couldn’t read him. She wasn’t human, but she knew from her knowledge of Peter Quill that he should be feeling something, and she understood rage and pain all too well herself. Perhaps he was just too tired to show anything, and why would he let her of all people see what he was thinking or feeling. She watched as he began to limp towards the remains of the ship that had brought the Guardians to this broken planet, then followed, eventually catching up, and without a word wrapped her arm around his waist and half carried him onto the ship.

“Ever been to Earth?” He asked as he leaned against a wall, then slowly slid down until he sat on the unforgiving floor.

She shook her head.

“Only one moon. One sun. But the best cheeseburgers.”

“Cheeseburgers?”

Tony looked up at her and realized she would never know what a cheeseburger tasted like, and after everything that had happened, this ridiculous notion is what pushed him over the edge, and the tears finally ran soundlessly down his cheeks again, this time unchecked. She knew she should look away, or do something to comfort him, but she found she couldn’t move.

“Sorry. Not cool,” he managed to mutter after a moment.

“Understandable under the circumstances.”

He swore as he tried to wipe the tears from his face, only to be reminded of his dislocated shoulder. He blinked at her and asked quietly, “I don’t suppose you could help put my shoulder back together?”

She shrugged, then snarked lightly, “you do this often?”

“Third, no fourth time, I think.”

She knelt next to him and wrapped herself around his shoulder, and she watched as he closed his eyes tightly against the coming pain, and mumbled, “breathe, Tony.” He nodded, and let a breath go slowly as she popped the joint back in place. “Sorry.”

“What for?”

“The child. He obviously meant something to you.”

Tony shrugged before he thought and swore a blue streak. “Closest thing I have - had, to a son. He shouldn’t have been here.”

“He made a choice.”

“He made a stupid choice. I tried - “

“He knew you needed help. He wanted to help you. It was clear he cared for you. Even I could tell that.” She stood up and turned toward the other end of the ship, and muttered, “you will need food and water soon, I think there were some supplies, and you’ll need something to remind you not to move too much -”

“Nebula.” She paused at the sound of his voice and waited. “I’m sorry too.”

“For what?”

“Your sister, she must have meant something to you.”

“I spent most of my life hating her.”

“At least you had someone.”

“You weren’t cursed with a sibling?”

“No. I would have loved to have a brother or sister.”

“You didn’t miss much.”

“I’m still sorry, for what it’s worth.” He leaned his head back against the wall and closed his eyes, and she watched in surprise as he drifted off to sleep.

“Humans… so very fragile.” She managed to find an old blanket amongst all the crap Quill had stashed away on the ship, and quietly walked back over to him and covered him carefully, then sat down next to him, and sighed as he leaned against her shoulder and snored. She wrapped her arm around him and hoped they could find a way to get him home before it was too late.


	2. Chapter 2

"Why do you do it?" 

"Do what?" He asked in return.

"You always answer every question with a question?" Nebula grumbled at him as she handed him a bottle of water.

"Not always," he sighed after he drank down half the bottle and looked up at her. "I do it, because I am the only who can."

"You don't have much of an ego do you?" She snorted and rolled her eyes, but would have smiled if she could. 

"One of the biggest, helps level the playing field a bit." 

"Yesterday. I've never seen anyone battle him as hard -"

He blinked at her and whispered, "was it just yesterday?"

"Time is different here, on your home planet it's been a few weeks."

She thought he took the news well, considering.

"Oh." He finished the bottle of water and closed his eyes. "I do it, did it, because I have, or had, someone I love more than myself."

"I'm sorry."

He managed a smile that made it to his eyes and shook his head. "I'm not."

"Love makes you weak -" she hissed, then turned away from him.

"In some ways," he began, then went silent for so long that she turned to look back at him, and couldn't tell if he were still breathing. She swore to herself as she fell to her knees and pressed her fingers gently against the pulse point in his wrist. He opened his eyes and cleared his throat. "Sorry. Didn't mean to fall asleep on you. I think I've got a bit of a concussion. We were talking about -"

"Nothing important, I think we should work on how to get you home. I'm sure -"

"You're sure what? That someone is still around who remembers me fondly enough to care where I am? Knowing how often the press has killed me off prematurely over the years, I'm sure I've been declared dead already, and even if Pepper - if she isn't - wasn't - she's - I promised her no more surprises." He shook his head and as he looked into Nebula's face, he swore he could see something close to empathy there. "Never mind."

"What do you love about her?"

Tony blinked at her, then flashed her the brightest smile she'd ever seen. "What do I love about her? Her infinite patience, not even sure how she's put up with me for so long; her intelligence, and she's got the bluest eyes, and she's kind. The kindest person I know, and -"

"I'm sure she's fine." She wasn't sure why she said it, but regretted the words as soon as they left her mouth.

"Neb. Don't."

"The universe -"

"The universe?" Tony laughed, then swore as he slowly got to his feet, and after he waved off her offer of help, grumbled out derisively, "the universe has been doing it's very best to kill me, or maim me at the very least for most of the last decade. I'm not expecting any favors from the fucking universe." He caught the look on her face, and sighed. "Sorry. I can't imagine what your life has been like - I don't have any right -"

"Pain is pain. You are allowed to curse the universe, I do it on an hourly basis." She shrugged and walked to the other end of the ship and returned with a few items of clothing. "You'll want to change, I'll leave, so you can have some privacy." She began to walk off the ship when he laid a trembling hand on her shoulder. 

"The universe was kind enough to bring you here. Maybe the tide is turning."

Humans, she thought to herself, the eternal optimists, even when there is no reason for hope, they are hopeful still. "I'll be right back."


	3. Chapter 3

"Sorry, this was all I could find." Nebula tossed him a box of Twinkies and he couldn't help but laugh.

"Twinkies, cockroaches, and maybe Cap would survive a nuclear holocaust." Tony sighed as he bit into the first one and shook his head. "I always wondered what these tasted like. Rich kid problem #211, never ate a Twinkie. How many more boxes are there?"

"Looks like a dozen."

"Great." Tony sighed, and dropped the box next to him, then went back to trying to figure out the mechanics on the ship; FRIDAY was no help and he had wanted to save the battery on the helmet for as long possible, and had turned it off days ago. He glanced up to find her watching him curiously. "What?"

"What's a Cap?"

"Right. I'm on a deserted planet with the one being in the Universe who hasn't heard of Captain America."

"Oh, him." Nebula shrugged at him and waited.

"He was the first one of 'us', the six freaks who were supposed to save the world when it needed us to. He was just a kid, when World War Two broke out, wanted to fight, but was too small, and they needed a volunteer to try out this serum that would make him pretty much indestructible if it worked, and he volunteered, and it worked like a charm." He saw a blank look on her face as he picked up the box of Twinkies again and tore another packet open. "World War Two was one of those things that we humans like to do every once in a while to shift the balance of power, costs a lot of lives, doesn't make a lot of sense, but then most things earthlings do, don't make much sense." He shoved half the Twinkie in his mouth, chewed it as little as possible, then swallowed and knew she was waiting for him to go on.

"Well, he became this hero guy, became poster boy for the States, the country where I live, used to live, and at the end of the war, he probably saved the world by crashing his jet, taking one of the Infinity Stones with him. I think if they hadn't found him and thawed him out seventy years later, the world might have been better off, and I'm not sure he wouldn't agree with me."

Nebula continued to work on rewiring the ship's communication system, as she asked quietly, "so, this Cap is your friend?"

"Friend." He finished the last bit of the Twinkie, then ran his fingers through his hair and shook his head. "I don't think we were ever friends. We were on the same side, fought together, but we were too different, he was essentially a twenty-five year old with a hundred year old brain, and I was me, a more stubborn version of me, if you can imagine. Both of us always thought we knew best. Turns out neither of us knew much of anything. He expected far too much of us."

"Who?"

"Hmm?"

"You said, 'he' expected too much of you."

"Guy named Fury. He thought if we worked together, it would be enough. But, we fell apart. No one's fault, really, just, stuff happened, as it does when too many people are involved. A lot of it was probably my fault, usually is, though I'm not sure it would have mattered in the end." He swore as his finger caught on a sharp edge, then gritted his teeth as he nanoteched it back together. "Gotta find a way to make that not hurt so fucking much. Sorry. The thought just occurred to me that I might be the last one. I know it was supposed to be random, but considering -"

"Is it going to help us get you home if you think the worst?" Nebula mumbled gently at him.

Tony looked up at her, and managed to grin. "No. It sure isn't. I don't suppose Quill has any music on this thing? I work better if there's music."

Nebula nodded. "He is, was a music nut. Had this thing. Wait, maybe, yeah, here it is -"

Tony laughed as he caught the Mp3 player that she tossed to him. He slipped on the headphones and turned it on, then closed his eyes and laughed even harder as he heard Rupert Holmes' voice, and sent a word of thanks to wherever or whenever Peter Quill was at the moment, and hoped with every bit of hope he had left that he could find a way to bring him, all of them back.

"I was tired of my lady, we'd been together too long  
Like a worn-out recording, of a favorite song  
So while she lay there sleeping, I read the paper in bed  
And in the personals column, there was this letter I read

"If you like Pina Coladas, and getting caught in the rain  
If you're not into yoga, if you have half a brain  
If you like making love at midnight, in the dunes of the cape  
I'm the love that you've looked for, write to me, and escape..."*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * from Escape(The Pina Colada song) written by Rupert Holmes


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I am making up my own Nebula canon here, and also reworking Tony's message to Pepper, because I can. ;)

"What did you want to be when you were a child?" Tony asked, after he had spent days studying her and came to the realization she had once been something or someone else before Thanos got his hands on her and remade her.

"What did I want to be?" She asked him as she fought with the battered equipment that should be getting the power turned back on, but wasn't. She wished she could blame Quill, but for all his oddities, he knew how to keep his ship working even if it were mostly held together with spit and guts, and the occasional roll or two of duct tape.

"You weren't always -"

She didn't make him finish the sentence and shook her head. "No, I was born on a small peaceful planet that Thanos happened to crash on, and we made the mistake of helping him. Ours was the first planet he decided to 'help' and I was his first daughter, I don't even know how old I am now, but I'm like your non-friend Rogers, I'm older than I look. But you asked what I wanted to be. On my home planet, we were born into a trade, if your parents were poets, you became a poet, if they were musicians -"

"What would you have been?"

She looked down at the motherboard in her hand, then up at him again, and if she could have grinned she would have. "A mechanic."

Tony snorted and shook his head. "No. Seriously?"

"I don't make jokes."

"No, you don't, do you?"

"My parents fixed his ship. If they had said no, who knows where we might be instead of here?"

"Most likely, I'd be here on my own." Tony grunted out as he got to his feet again, and went in search for another bottle of water.

"You believe you were fated to be here?"

"Saw it on the rare nights I slept enough to dream. This ship. Didn't see you though. Saw Thanos, didn't know what he was, I knew about the stones, didn't know what they were, until later, but I knew they shouldn't be in human hands, still, once I got my hands on one, it made me believe I could fix everything - didn't, made it worse."

"He knew of you, too. He had always wanted to control the stones, but it wasn't until he started having dreams - no, not dreams, he saw you in everything day and night, it was as if he were possessed."

"Yeah, something like that." He looked at the small stash of water that was left and sighed. "Time to start rationing."

Nebula followed his eyes, and whispered, "no, it's just time to get you home, Stark."

"You really think -"

"You have to believe there's a chance that she's okay."

"After what I've seen -"

"She will want you back, Tony. If she's the person you remember, she will wait for you to come home. Why don't you use that helmet of yours to send her a message?"

"There's no way -"

"Only if you don't try."

"Very optimistic of you, Neb."

"Just realistic. Tell her, make sure she knows."

He watched her face and knew she never had a chance to say goodbye to her family, and she didn't get to say goodbye to Gamora, and he nodded then took a gulp of water, then put the top back on and put it back down, and picked up the helmet and went to sit in the cockpit of the ship, and tried to decide what his last words to Pepper should be if the message got to her somehow. Should it be all the things he never said to her, had wanted to say to her, but had always been afraid to, for fear of losing her? Or would she know he was saying them only because he was afraid he wouldn't see her again?

He had spent so much time apologizing to her, so he wouldn't apologize this time, he had promised her no more surprises, and not more than fifteen minutes later was on an alien ship, and even now he couldn't - no, that was a lie; he had spent the last six years knowing he had to, knowing that he would leave her again, because he had no choice. So he wouldn't say that to her. He'd wing it. That's what he had always done in the past, so what the hell. He sighed as he flipped the switch and was relieved that the batteries still seemed to work. He cleared his throat, then pressed record.

"Pepper, if you get this message, not sure how you will, but in case you do, I want you to know I love you. It's only ever been you. I had dreams, dreams of you and Morgan, they were so real, I could smell her, you know that baby smell that people talk about? I woke up that last morning with that scent in my head. Don't know if that makes sense. All I know is that my life began to mean something when I realized I loved you, it's why I did everything, damn. I'm saying this wrong, it's not your fault, it's just that I didn't see any point to my life if you weren't in it. Your voice and your face got me through Afghanistan, and when I manage to sleep here on this broken ship, trying to figure out how to get home to you, it's you, always you, I think of when I close my eyes. Don't be sad, Pep. Sometimes things don't always go the way we hope they will. Have a good life, Pep. And maybe think of me sometime on the nights when you are somewhere you can see the stars. Battery is getting low, gotta sign off. Love you." 

He sighed as he switched the helmet off and hoped it transmitted somehow to someone, then shook his head and for the first time had the feeling he was never going to see Earth again.


	5. Chapter 5

"...Tony. Stark. Open your eyes." 

She was trying to think of something she could say to him that would ease him awake. When Gamora used to have bad dreams as a child, she would stroke her hair and whisper that she was safe, that she would never leave her - but she wasn't sure, in fact, she was sure he wouldn't want her to touch him in that way, besides, he wasn't safe, she didn't know when he would be and once he was home, he wouldn't care what happened to her. She froze as he grabbed onto her hand and he sobbed out, "Peter. Don't - don't leave -"

"Tony. It's Nebula. I've got the ship running, enough to get us into orbit, anyway. I need you to wake up, Stark, it's time to get you home."

Tony's eyes finally opened and focused on her. "Neb?"

"Bad dream."

"I didn't -"

She shook her head at him. "I've got the power going finally."

"Kicked it into submission?" He rubbed his eyes, then tried to catch his breath. "Damn. Not now -"

"Tony, look at me. Take a breath, it's okay. You survived for a reason. You survived so you could find a way to get them all home again. Look at me, take a breath, think of the cheeseburgers waiting for you back home. Just breathe, Stark. Breathe." She watched as he closed his eyes again and took one shuddering breath, then another, and as his fingers tightened around hers, she knew at that moment that she would give anything to get him safely back home where he belonged. "You will get home, Tony, I promise. If it's the last thing I do."

He opened his eyes again and smiled gently at her. "Neb."

"Tell me the first thing you are going to do when you get home."

"I can't."

"Tony. You will get home. Close your eyes and tell me -"

"Shower. A hot glorious shower until the water turns cold."

"Then?"

"Ice cream."

"Ice cream?"

Tony opened his eyes and laid a hand on her face. "Oh, Neb. I wish there was a way - sorry. When I, when we get home, if you - I want to find a way to help you, I know the pain you are in -"

She shook her head, but couldn't look away from him.

"I see it in your face, I know pain, Nebula, and I know how it feels not to be seen for who and what you truly are. It doesn't matter what Thanos made you into, what you've done in the past. If I can, I want to help you, if you'll let me?"

"Tony." She finally nodded, then whispered, "do you think you could make it so I could smile again? I can't remember the last time I smiled."

"Yeah, when we get home, I'll find a way, I promise."


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Carol and Maria are piloting the ship... of course.

She quickly lost track of the days, and watched helplessly every time he closed his eyes to drift off to sleep again, afraid today would be the day he wouldn't open them again.

"You promised, Neb, you promised I'd get home, and I promised you a smile, remember? They'll find us."

 

Finally, on the morning she had given up all hope, she saw the light of another ship, and she cleared her throat to speak into the radio that she wasn't even sure was working. "Identify yourself, we are unarmed, and need medical assistance."

A strong, soft voice responded. "Is Tony Stark on board with you?"

Nebula nodded until she remembered she needed to speak. "Yes, he's on board, and he needs oxygen, he's dehydrated -"

"He's alive?"

"Yes, he's alive. May I ask your name? Please?" 

"Pepper Potts. I'm his -"

"Pepper?"

"Yes."

She leaned down and whispered into Tony's hair, "Tony, Pepper's here, you're going home, just like I promised, just hold on a little while longer."

"We're going home, Neb." He managed as he touched her face then slowly sat up. "We're going home, Nebula."

"What is your name?" Pepper's voice came through the speakers and tears rolled down Tony's cheeks.

"I'm Nebula."

"Nebula? Is there, anyone else with you?" Pepper asked quietly.

"No. We were the only two -"

"It's okay, we are going to dock now, and bring you on board. Thank you, Nebula."

"I think I should be thanking you?"

"Right." She could hear the music in Pepper's voice and as she looked down at Tony, she saw the light return to the dark brown eyes. "Be right there, Tony."

Ten minutes later Nebula pressed the button that opened the lock and she gazed up into the bluest eyes she had ever seen. "He was right."

"About?" Pepper asked in a hush.

"Your eyes. You got his message."

Pepper nodded, then looked over her shoulder, and Nebula felt his arm curl around her as Tony leaned his weight against her, so he could stand. "Hey, Ms. Potts."

"Mr. Stark." 

Nebula felt him falter as he tried to walk, and picked him up in her arms before he fell. "Neb. I can walk."

"Don't be ridiculous, Stark."

Pepper laughed and leaned down to press a kiss on Tony's forehead, then glanced up and smiled at Nebula. "I'm glad there's someone else in the universe who can make him see sense. Ready to go home?"

Tony looked up at Nebula and grinned, then nodded at Pepper. "Yes, Ms. Potts, we're ready to go home."


End file.
